Fairy Tail: The Married Years
by nonchalantpup
Summary: Fairy Tail mages in their married years. Cheesy, but I liked the idea at first.
1. 1

Erza Scarlet woke up to the disruptive grunts of Jellal. They have been married for four years so far, which is the longest than any of the other retired wizards from fairy tail. Erza adjusts her position on the left side of the bed to prop herself up on her elbow. With her head in her hand, she rubs Jellal's back and says, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Jellal, surprised that Erza woke up, "Oh hi, I just can't sleep."

"It's okay. What's worrying you right now?"

"I'm just stressed about work and stuff."

"Well," Erza sits up and begins giving Jellal a shoulder rub, "I'm sure it's nothing too big. You can always find a new job. Your experience compares to no other person running for one of those office management jobs."

"Haha, thanks, but I don't think this is going to go away easily. I'm fine, honey. You can go back to sleep. I'll be right back, I just need some time to myself."

Jellal gets up out of the bed and walks slowly out of their room to his office. Erza, with a frown on her face, thinks of it as just stress and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, Jellal walks straight into his office, as if he was a robot taking routine orders. He walks right past the overstuffed suitcase still sitting haphazardly on the floor from when he went to the Office Op. Convention. All of his friends went to the five day convention, including Erza herself. Jellal walks to his computer and sits down in the chair which squeaks from restless nights working later and later at home.

Jellal moves the mouse to wake the mac computer. He enters his password and the computer screen instantly turns bright white from the email he recently received from Gray Fulbuster. The email's subject line read: Please Jellal. He opens up the email again after countless times of rereading and rereading and thinking and thinking. Jellal wasn't stressed from work. He was conflicted about what to do. Gray was his friend, and Jellal never expected Gray to do something so low and dishonest. Jellal takes a deep breath and starts reading the email again, trying to figure out what to reply, to not even reply, or to go to Gray's house and beat the living crap out of him.

Subject: Please Jellal

From: gray789

To: jellal23

Please Jellal, don't tell Loke. Me and Juvia, that was just a one time thing. It wasn't even a thing. It was a big mistake. I don't know how you found us when you did, but please don't tell. Have I done anything like this before? No, I haven't. So why should one slip up affect me and my whole life.

I will never be with Juvia. I am not going break up with Loke. I expect you to not tell Loke. Juvia and I were never meant to be. I wasn't thinking right when it happened. I was drunk and Juvia was just there. She was basically throwing herself on me.

It won't happen again. I swear to it. Please, Jellal, don't tell anyone.

Gray Fulbuster


	2. 2

I woke up, tossing and turning. I haven't slept a good night since the convention and when Jellal caught me and Juvia. I was drunk and the music was too loud. Juvia was just there. She was basically asking for it. I can't believe I slept with her or almost did. What's the difference? Jellal probably put the pieces together and assumed what happened. He's probably really confused about everything. I sure would be.

I never really thought of myself as being gay, but I knew I was different. I came out to the guild when I turned 19, and Loke came out a year before. When we were hanging out together a few days before my birthday, Loke told me that he would come out to the guild the next day. Everyone accepted Loke, and I hoped they would accept me too. Loke living so freely by everyone gave me the courage to come out to the guild a year later.

The day I came out, Lucy and Natsu just got back from their honeymoon, and everyone was at the guild celebrating the newlywed couple. I decided that that was my chance. I needed to get it off my chest. So after Master Makarov made a toast and people were going around saying things about themselves that they don't really share right off the bat. When it came to be my turn to tell everyone my "secret", I stood up and said, "I am gay. I want you to all accept me for who I am. This doesn't make me any less or any more of one of you guys. This is what makes me me. I won't be ashamed of who I am, especially because you guys are all practically my family." And then after that came silence. Silence seemed like it was being dragged on and on like a little kid dreading to go to school and pulling on their parents' pant leg.

I didn't know what people would say or do. I was mostly scared because they would treat me differently. Lucy was the first person to do any moves or make any noise. She let go of Natsu's hand and walked towards me with a warm smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She came over and hugged me. A nice big hug that you get from a good friend who's known you front and back. She retreated back to Natsu's embrace, and said in her sweet voice, "We'll still love you Gray. It doesn't matter to us. That's what makes you unique and we love you Gray. There's nothing you can do to push us away. We'll always be there for you because we're a family."

That cued everyone to start piping in words of encouragement and support. I felt way better after I told everyone. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I instantly felt better about myself as a person. Everyone supported me the first months or so, but then the word got out across Fiore. People put my name in the gossip sections of the paper and their conversations over brunch. I got what I wanted from my family, but everyone else was disapproving of me.

I would get hate emails and texts telling me about how I should live my life and crap like that. It almost drove me over the edge, but Loke was there. He knew about the bad press and was there for me. He helped me get through the time of self hate and long nights when the emails would just keep popping up everywhere.

Loke taught me how to look past it and not give a damn what others think because I can be who I want. Loke really helped me during that time. And ever since then, we were always close. We would hang out at the park, go to parties, go on quests together, and spend every weekend together. One night, when we were traveling, it was really cold. So cold, we slept under the same blankets and were close enough to touch. I could feel the blood and nervousness running through me and I guess Loke could feel it too. Next thing I know, we're kissing and taking off each other's clothes and I didn't feel so cold anymore. Loke was the light I was missing in my life. I felt whole and like the best me that I could possibly be. Since then, we were boyfriend and boyfriend, until I screwed up with Juvia.


	3. 3

The cloudy gray sky matched Lucy's mood exactly as she stared out her bedroom window. She sighed, thinking about Natsu, her husband, possibly soon-to-be ex-husband. When she first got married, she had been told that the fourth year of marriage was the bumpiest and most likely to end up with a divorce. Back then, she just laughed it off, insisting that that would never happen to her and Natsu. Boy, was she wrong.

Their troubles started a few weeks ago after another unsuccessful mission- well, they had succeeded, actually, but Natsu caused so much damage that all their reward money was taken away to pay for repairs once again. After years of being subjected to that, Lucy finally snapped. She yelled at Natsu, ranting at him about how tired she was of Natsu's constant carelessness and destruction. She told him to stop being such a child and learn to become a responsible man like he should be.

Natsu shot back that she would have a right to complain once she became more powerful and actually helped with missions instead of being a dainty princess who just stood around looking pretty. Lucy was shocked at Natsu's cruel statement- heck, even Natsu himself had a hard time believing that he had just said that.

They exchanged harsh words, insult and complaint coming one after another. Although most of them weren't true, they were too far into their anger to stop and kept arguing.

Their huge fight had left a gaping rift in their marriage, and each day it kept spreading further apart. Both were too stubborn to apologize and absolutely refused to until the other said sorry first, and that was obviously not going to happen anytime soon.

The sound of the front door opening and then slamming shut disrupted Lucy from her depressing thoughts. She didn't even try suppressing her groan when her heard the familiar footsteps come toward her room. Natsu peeked through her half-open door, giving her a cold glare, lips set in a scowl. Lucy made eye contact with him, giving him a frown just as heavy and leered back at him. They stared at each other like that for about a minute before Natsu huffed and stormed away. Lucy mirrored his frustration and also huffed, turning back toward her window.

She heard Natsu leave the apartment, wincing as the door slam rattled through her body. He was probably making his way to the guild, eager to flirt with that new girl Reina or something. The very thought made Lucy choke on a sob, and it wasn't long before she completely broke into tears. She cried wordlessly, her heaving wails echoing around the empty apartment.


	4. 4

Natsu slouched at the bar, chin rested on his folded arms. Why didn't Lucy understand that all she had to do was apologize? He longed to hold her in his embrace again. Maybe if he...

No. Natsu refused to be the one to surrender. Lucy started the whole mess, so she would be the one to clean it up. Natsu was obviously the victim in this situation.

Mira brought him a glass of water, but instead of leaving to go serve another customer, she stayed in front of Natsu.

"Natsu," she said gently, "You and Lucy can't stay like this forever. You have to make up with her."

Natsu didn't reply; he allowed his eyes to roam around the guild- anywhere but Mira's stern blue eyes.

Mira sighed, knowing that he would just ignore her prods like he did every other day. But today, she had resolved, would be the day she'd finally get Natsu and Lucy back together. She slammed her palms on the counter, startling Natsu and causing him to look at her.

"Natsu, you need to stop being such a child and become a responsible man!" Mira was about to continue on when Natsu growled and abruptly shot up from his stool.

"Shut up!" he yelled at her, drawing the whole guild's attention to him. Mira's words were exactly what Lucy had said to him those weeks ago, which now felt like years ago. "Why don't you go tell that to Lucy! Tell her to stop being the child and be the 'responsible woman' she always claims to be!" Fiery anger danced in his eyes. "Everyone's acting like I'm the bad guy! It was Lucy who started this whole mess! I'm not talking to her until she finally comes around and realizes that she's the one who's wrong!"

A loud slap echoed around the guild. Mira, hand still in the air and eyebrows steeply furrowed, glared at Natsu, whose left cheek was rapidly turning red. "I'm disappointed in you," she whispered, and then she turned her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.

Natsu stood there, stunned. Then, slowly and stiffly, he started walking out of the building, ignoring the shocked stares of his guild mates. Nobody noticed Lisanna sneak out to follow the dragon slayer.


	5. 5

It was a warm Saturday in the town of Magnolia. Erza was packing a picnic lunch for her and Jellal. They have been planning to spend a work-free day together for a while. This Saturday was the only day that worked for both of their busy schedules.

"Erza!" Jellal called into the kitchen from their bedroom, "Have you seen my football?"

"Why would you need that?" Erza inquired quickly.

"Uh, no reason." Jellal answered awkwardly to cover up the fact that he planned to coincidentally 'run into' a friend and play a game or two. Jellal walks into the kitchen, with no football in hand.

"You were planning on skipping out on today, weren't you?" Erza says quietly while putting a hand on her hip.

"No, I wasn't planning on spending the day with you at the park like we planned." Jellal says in his most sincere way because he needed to spend some time catching up on work.

"Jellal, we've talked about this. I seriously think we're drifting apart."

"We aren't. I know how you feel about us, but I don't think we are. People have to work. I am busy with my job and you're busy with Fairy Tail."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means that-" Jellal was cut off by Erza's piercing tone.

"No, I get what you think this is. You think you're the only person who actually works hard around here and that I am the lazy house wife who sits around all day. Well, I don't. I go on quests that have extremely good pay. I may not come across them everyday, but I do get them before a new party does."

"You know damn right that's how I feel. Why don't you just get a real job and move on from Fairy Tail?"

"Excuse me? Do you see me ripping on your job?" Erza says taken aback by Jellal raising his voice. Erza stomps out of the kitchen and heads out the front door, slamming it so hard that Jellal winces. Erza walks straight down the hallway and opens the door to the stair case downstairs. She instantly collapses on the first step and sobs. Her shoulders shook and she started crying, letting go of all of the emotions bottled up inside of her. All of the times she kept quiet while Jellal would talk about boring work problems or ranted about problems with other people that bothered him. Her stomach hurt from her shaking and staggered breathing. She cried until she had nothing left inside of her. She cried till she was empty in the heart and head.

Meanwhile, in the apartment, Jellal absentmindedly walks to the liquor cabinet, pours a glass of scotch, and drowns his sorrows and problems in emptiness.


	6. 6

Gray walks into the Magnolia Cafe and takes a seat at a booth in the corner. He was meeting Loke there for lunch once Loke finishes a quest. Gray had a queasy feeling in his stomach which put him on edge. He didn't know if Jellal told Loke about his hookup with Juvia or not. He certainly didn't want Loke to hear about the matter, period. But if he had to find out, Gray knew that it would be best to be from himself.

The middle aged waiter walks up to the booth Gray was seated at. Quickly, Gray glanced at the drinks menu and briskly tells the waiter, "I'll have a glass of water, thank you." The waiter turns on her heels and goes to the back counter to get his drink.

Meanwhile, Loke walks into the cafe, with windblown hair and an unbuttoned was late for their 'date' the third time in a glances at the time on his cell phone. 12:30. They planned on having lunch at 12:00. Why was Loke always late nowadays? Could it be the fact that Lucy was the celestial wizard who held to Loke's key? It couldn't be because of Lucy. Loke was Gray's faithful boyfriend for the past 2 years. Gray scowled that doubt and was back into the real world, where Loke, or Leo the Lion, was sitting right in front of him and ready to have lunch and talk to him and indulge in each other's presence while it lasted.

"Hi Gray," Loke says with a smile and kisses Gray's cheek. Loke was never one to hold back on public displays of affection. Gray on the other hand was self conscious about it and liked to keep romantic life at home in private.

"Hey, how was your morning?"

"Pretty good. Aquarius and I got in a little bit of a fight, but nothing big. She's still moody as ever. I wonder what's wrong with her."

Psh. Loke, always the kind and thoughtful one, Gray thought. He always loved how Loke was caring more for others than himself, but it made him look away to problems that could be right in front of him. Gray wanted to spend a night with Loke, alone. No interruptions and nobody else in mind or in 's it! I should make a night like that for him. He sure would love it! I have to go talk to Mira about this. She always has the best advice. Gray gets up quickly, almost spilling his water that he ordered.

"Where are you going so fast? Weren't we going to have lunch?" Loke said in confusion to Gray itching to leave so abruptly.

"Oh I just remembered I need to do some extra work today. Maybe tonight at dinner at the apartment we can talk?" Gray said whilst getting his jacket on and heading for the door.

"Oh um, okay see you then!" Loke answered. Feelings of hurt swept over Loke. He really looked forward to lunch with Gray. It feels like they haven't talked in ages. They've always been so busy, or he has been so busy. It's hard to have a relationship when the real world strains you every time you come. Loke decides to rest up in the Celestial world and ponder how he should tell Gray the news he was going to reveal at lunch.


End file.
